Would you turn to the 51st Psalm? If someone would ask me what
my favorite psalm is, I believe this is what would come to my
mind. The 51st Psalm. Have mercy upon me, O God, according
to thy lovingkindness, according unto the multitude
of thy tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have
I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest
be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. I was shaping an iniquity, and
in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth
in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt make me
to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall
be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter
than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness
that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy
face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in
me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit
from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I
teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted
unto thee. Deliver me from blood guiltiness,
O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud
of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips, and
my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not
sacrifice, else would I give it. Thou delightest not in burnt
offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit. A broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou would not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure
and desire, Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shall thou
be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt
offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks
upon thine altar. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in Christ's name
that everybody listening might be enabled to enter in to this
home. We thank you for your word. We
thank you for your grace. Speak to us for Christ's sake.
Forgive us of our sins for Christ's sake. Lord, we pray for your
Mercy upon us, your healing hand according to your will. Give
us grace to love you more and love one another more. Be with
all your people wherever they meet together. In Christ's name
we pray, amen. Now I would call this particular
psalm an expanded version of the prayer of the publican. God
be merciful. And the word is actually propitious.
God be propitious to me, the sinner. Now, what he is asking
at that time is Lord, do something about my sin. I can't do anything
about it. I need you to do something about
my sin. Now, men spend their lives trying
to do something about their sin. What a blessing it is when I
find I can't do anything about my sin and he must do it for
me. And that is what Psalm 51 is
all about. Now let me remind you of the
setting of this psalm. David was up on a rooftop when
King should be out at battle. He was loitering at home. He sees Bathsheba bathing herself,
a beautiful woman. She happened to be the wife of
one of his faithful friends, one of his mighty men. You can
read about him in that list. And in a horrible abuse of power,
he had her brought to him. This is the man after God's own
heart. He committed adultery with her. He impregnated her. He had her
husband murdered in cold blood in order to cover up his sin. Now, Whenever anybody says, would
a believer do that? Yeah. Everybody in here, apart
from God's grace, would commit even more horrible crimes. Do you believe that about yourself?
I hope you do. I hope I do. But here we have
David now writing this psalm, and you'll
notice It says it's after Nathan the prophet came unto him, after
he'd gone into Bathsheba. That's the title, and this is
part of the original. You remember how God sent Nathan
to David? David had gone over a year. God
sends Nathan to David with that story about that man who had
that little lamb that he loved so much. He loved that lamb so
much that he would eat dinner with him with his kids right
there at the table and there was a rich man who had a Lot and a visitor came to him
and he said well, I don't want to use one of my lambs. I'm gonna
get that guy's lamb and he went and got that lamb and slaughtered
it and fed it to his visitor and David said As the Lord liveth,
that man is gonna die. And Nathan said, you're the man. I just described you. And that's
when David penned the words of this song. Now, if you want to
understand what repentance before God is, this song will tell you. And as I said, I hope you and
I enter into the spirit of this psalm as we look at it. Now,
David says, have mercy upon me, O God, not according to my sorrow,
not according to my intentions to make this thing right, not
according to my efforts at restitution, not according to the good things
that I intend to do to make up for this. There's only one reason
For mercy for me. Have mercy upon me, O God, according
to thy loving kindness. Somebody once said that's the
Old Testament word for grace. I believe that. According unto
the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Here
we have what David asked the Lord to do about his sin. As a matter of fact, when I read
this Psalm, I read 18 different things that David asked the Lord
to do about his sin. And that's what he's doing. He
says, blot out my transgressions, obliterate them, make them to
where they are no longer. blot them out. And you know what
blotting out is? It's erasing, making it to where
they did not take place. Now that's what David is asking
the Lord to do about his sin. And that's what the publican
was saying when he said, God be merciful. The word is propitious.
be propitious toward my sin, be a sin removing sacrifice for
my sin. Do something about my sin. Would
to God that you and I will be praying that right now. Lord,
do something about my sin. He says in verse two, wash me
throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Now you'll notice in these first
two verses, he talks about this three headed monster that all
of us deal with. Iniquity, transgression, and
sin. Iniquity. The Lord spoke of the priest
bearing The sacrifice bearing the iniquity of the holy things.
What I believe iniquity refers to is the good stuff. Transgression. refers to the
breaking of God's law, the bad stuff, the lying, the cheating,
the stealing, the perversion, the breaking of God's law. Sin is the nature. The reason there's iniquity,
the reason there's transgression is because of a sinful nature. Wash me all the way through from
mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. My sin has made
me filthy, cleanse me. Now in verse three, he takes
sides with God. I acknowledge my transgressions
and my sin is ever before me. It's always right there staring
me in the face. Now, in verse four, he says,
against thee, thee only have I sinned. Now, wait a minute.
You sinned against Bathsheba, didn't you? I think you sinned against Uriah
when you murdered him. But true conviction of sin is
seen, not when you've seen what you've done to other people,
but when you see your sin is against God. the difference in
the world. He says, against thee and thee
only. That's what the prodigal, remember
when he said, I'll, I'll say I've sinned against heaven and
in thy sight. Against the, I acknowledge my
transgressions. My sin is ever before me against
thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight.
that thou mightest be justified when you speak and be clear when
you judge. Now here's something that every
sinner does before God. They justify God in whatever
he does. If you condemn me, if you send me to hell, you're clear
in your judgment. You're giving me exactly what
I deserve. I couldn't say you're being too
hard on me. You know, when I hear People complain with the fairness
of God. How could it be fair for God
to save one and leave another? How could it be fair for God
to elect one and not elect another? How could it be fair for Christ
to die for one and not die for another? Any objection like that
comes from me not really believing I'm a sinner. If I really believe
I'm a sinner, in my heart before God, if I really believe I'm
a sinner, Whatever he does is fair, right, just, and holy. Whatever he does. And that's
what David's doing at this time. He's saying, whatever you do
is right, holy, just, and true. Sinners don't sit in judgment
on God, do they? Not when we believe we're sinners. Now when
we're being self-righteous, which is all the time too, I realize
that, we find fault with God's providence and so on, and that's
wicked on our part, but when we see what we are, whatever
God does is right. Now he looks at the depth of
his problem. He says in verse five, behold,
I was shaping an iniquity and sin did my mother conceive me.
David said, I was born bad. I didn't become bad. I was born
bad. I was born evil. Now that's just
the truth with regard to you and I. Why is it that you don't
have to teach your children to lie? Why do you not have to teach
your children to be selfish? It's their nature. They're born
that way, born dead in sins. When Adam died, you and I died
in him and we're born with these evil natures. And David is acknowledging
this at that time. He said, my problem has always
been with me. It's not like I've fallen, I've
born fallen. Behold, verse six, thou desires
truth in the inward part. And in the hidden part thou shalt
make me to know wisdom. Now, what God desires is truth
on the inside and what he desires, he gets. If he desires truth
on the inner part, you know what? There's going to be truth on
the inner part. God doesn't have frustrated desires.
David goes on to say, in the hidden part thou shalt make me
to know wisdom. Now what's he talking about when
he's talking about the inward part and the hidden part? Well,
that's what Peter calls the hidden man of the heart, the new nature. You know why it's called hidden?
Because you can't see it. Can you look within your heart
and see a holy nature? Of course you can't. It's there
if you believe the gospel. It's there if you look to Christ.
But as far as something we, yeah, I can see that's, no, it's hidden
because you can't see it. You can't see a holy nature.
If you can, it's because you're blind. You've made a mistake.
David couldn't see a holy nature on his part. It's the hidden
part, but God sees it. God put it there. And in the
hidden part, God said, David says, he will make me to know
wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom. That's the wisdom we're made
to know. Now look what he says in verse
seven. Purge me with hyssop and I shall
be clean. I'm filthy. I need to be purged
with hyssop. I shall be clean. Wash me and
I shall be whiter than snow. Now what is hyssop? Well, you
remember Passover. They would take the hyssop branch
and dip it in the blood of the Passover lamb and use that hyssop
branch to put it over the door post. And God said, when I see
the blood, not when you see it, when I see it. What was God looking
for? The blood. Not your faith, not
your sincerity, not your intentions. The blood. When I see the blood,
I will pass over you. David is saying, see me in the
blood, purge me with hyssop, the blood atoning paschal lamb,
and I'll be clean. Do you believe the blood of Christ
has the power to make it to where you're actually clean before
God? Wash me. I'm defiled by my sin. Wash me and I shall be wider
than snow. I don't know of anything on this
planet that's wider than a new snowfall. If you wash me, I'll
be wider than that. That's the power of his blood. Look what he says in verse eight.
Make me to hear I can't even hear unless you give me the ears
to hear. I can't hear the gospel unless you make me to hear. And here's what I want to hear.
I don't want to do penance and try to make up for my sins. I
know there's no good in that. I want to hear joy and gladness. The joy and gladness of knowing
your sins are blotted out because of what Christ did, not because
of anything you intend to do or trying to do. No, the only
time you hear joy and gladness is when you hear the gospel.
It's what's called the joy and peace of believing. When you
hear that Christ is all and you're made perfect in him, that brings
joy and gladness, doesn't it? That's what truly brings joy
and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Now, David's saying, I'm broken. I'm broken, I don't work. I'm damaged goods. Make me to
hear joy and peace at the bones that thou has broken may rejoice. Look what he says in verse nine,
hide thy face from my sins. You know what that means? Make it to where you don't see
him. I don't want you to see my sin. Hide your face from my sin. Well, how can that be? Because
the blood of Christ makes it to where there's nothing there
for God to see. Hide thy face from my sins. And he asked once again, this
is the second time he asks for this, blot out all mine iniquities. The only way he's going to hide
his face from your sins is if they're blotted out. erased,
made not to be. He said in Isaiah 43 verse 25,
I have blotted out thy transgression for my own sake and will not
remember your sins. I have blotted out as a thick
cloud, thy transgressions. Verse 10, create. Here's another thing he's asking
the Lord to do. Now, creation is what only God can do. We talk
about creative people. That's not a good word, is it?
I mean, maybe gifted people that the Lord has gifted, but to call
somebody creative, really, it's the wrong kind of language, isn't
it? There's only one who creates. God. And he says, create. My heart is filthy. I can't do
anything about it. Create in me a clean heart, a
new heart, a creative act of God, something that was not there
before. Can you Ask the Lord even that
Lord created me. It ain't going to be there unless
you do it. Create in me a clean heart. Oh God. And renew a right
spirit within me and my marginal reading says a steadfast spirit. Affirm spirit one that is. What he's saying is my I'm so
unstable. Put a firm. right spirit within me. Verse
11, cast me not away from thy presence. Don't cast me off. I can see why you would, but
cast me not away from thy presence. Don't leave me to myself. Take
not thy Holy Spirit from me. Now, he felt like The Lord would
be right and just if he did cast him off and if he removed him
from all spiritual blessing and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Somebody says, don't you know that a believer can't fall away? Yeah, I know that. And David
knew that, but David's still expressing the way he felt. He
felt cast off. He felt like the Lord had withdrawn
himself from him. And he says, take not thy spirit
away. Look what he says in verse 12.
Restore unto me. I've lost this. Restore unto
me the joy of thy salvation. You know, when you have joy is
when you see all of salvation is his. It's what he does all
together for you, for his name's sake. There's joy there. What joy there is in knowing
that everything God requires of me, he provides for me and
he did for me. Now that's joy. Restore to me
the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Now notice with thy is in italics. The word free means willing.
You know what he's saying? Make me willing. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. Make me willing. You know, God's the only one
that can do that. And he can do it. He can make us willing. And that's what David's asking
for in this prayer. Make me willing. You know, to any believer that
has been born again, taught of God, the very idea of free will
is ridiculous. It's just ridiculous. Make me willing. Verse 13, then After you do these things for
me, then will I teach transgressors thy way, the way of salvation
in Christ, and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from blood guiltiness. O God, thou God of my salvation,
and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. Now, if
sin against Bathsheba was bad, Murdering Uriah, that was a bad
thing, but that wasn't his main problem. His main problem was
blood guiltiness. The guilt of murdering the son
of God. Every believer's had a hand in
that. And what we ask for more than anything else, deliver me
from that blood guiltiness that I am guilty of. And that's the
way you're delivered because of his blood. And what does he
say I'll sing aloud of? He doesn't say I'll sing aloud
of your mercy or grace, although you would in those things, but
I will sing aloud of thy righteousness. I love the way the gospel is
altogether righteous. God doesn't just put my sin under
the carpet and sweep it. No, he puts it away and his righteousness
punished all sin and his righteousness demands the salvation of everybody
that Jesus Christ died for. That's glorious, isn't it? I'll
sing of thy righteousness. Oh, I love a righteous salvation.
I love righteous grace. There's nothing unclean about
this. It's all according to the righteousness of God. He says
in verse 15, O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show
forth thy praise. I can't even praise you unless
you enable me to do it, unless you open my lips. For thou desirest
not sacrifice, else would I give it. Thou delightest not in burnt
offering. He understood that these animal sacrifices don't
do anything for the true satisfaction of God. It's what they point
to. He understood that. You don't delight in burnt offerings
and so on. Verse 17, the sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit. A broken and a contrite heart,
oh God, thou will not despise. What do you do with things that
are broken? Well, they don't work. They're no good. Throw
them away. The heart is at its best state
when broken. It's no good. It doesn't work. And God says a broken heart he
will not despise. The only way I can come into
his presence is with a broken heart. And to contrite spirit,
that's really what the Lord is talking about when he says, blessed
are the poor in spirit. Blessed are they that mourn. This is what this is a reference
to, this broken heart that he's speaking of. The sacrifices of
God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God,
thou wilt not despise. Now he looks at the big picture
to close. He says, do good in thy good pleasure and desire
and build thou the walls of Jerusalem. He's now thinking of the church.
build your walls for her protection by your grace. You know, when
you desire to know the Lord, you desire the good of his church,
don't you? You really do. It's in your heart.
And he now prays for the church at this time, that the Lord would
do good according to his good pleasure, according to his good
will. Then when you do your good pleasure,
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness,
which points to the Lord Jesus Christ with burnt offerings and
whole burnt offerings, Then shall they offer bullocks upon thine
altar when you build Jerusalem. So David's psalm is totally self-focused
at first, and then he turns to the church. May the Lord do that
for me and you. Amen.